Enigma
by ThereComesAMoment
Summary: A mysterious incident sees Hermione stuck in her animagus form, leaving her with no choice but to leave Hogwarts. Disaster strikes leaving a very injured and alone Hermione, but can her mysterious knight in shining armour save her in time? Set midway through The Deathly Hallows, all canon up to just after Malfoy Manor.
1. Chapter 1

The warm rays of sunlight filtering through my window woke me from my sleep. Groggily, I opened my eyes and yawned, before lifting my hoof to wipe the sand from my eyes. Wait, hoof?! Looking down at the limb in question, long black legs had replaced my arms. Panicking, I scrabbled to my feet, which was easier said than done, due to the fact that I had four legs instead of two! I raced over to my mirror and stood paralysed in shock.

There, looking back at me, was a large black Pegasus.

All of me was solid black, except from a white blaze that ran down the centre of my face. Turning slightly, I looked at my neatly folded wings before gingerly stretching them out. The sheer size of my wings alone stunned me, each wing was easily 2 metres across! In truth, I was quite magnificent, my coat shone in the morning sun and my brown eyes sparkled with bewildered excitement.

Confused, I wracked my brain, trying desperately to think of what had caused this transformation. I began to pace the room, stopping when my hooves clattered noisily on the floor, I didn't want anyone coming up and finding me like this. I turned back to where I had first woke, books littered the floor around me. Turning to the first one, I nudged it with my hoof until I could read the front cover. _Animagus Training: From Beginners to Experts._ Memories from the day before flashed through my mind; Professor McGonagall talking to me about becoming an animagus, her giving me the book, my hours upon hours of reading and soul searching to reveal my animagus form. I relaxed slightly as the realisation sunk in, before my panic returned tenfold. How did I end up like this? I hadn't performed any spells! How on earth was I going to attend class, or eat, or sleep, or talk?!

I am not sure how long my panic raged in my mind, but a sudden wave of thirst hit me like a bludger. I desperately searched my room for something to drink, quickly unearthing a small bottle of water in my backpack. I reached to get it, before my body quickly reminded me that I no longer had hands. I snorted in frustration before resorting to using my teeth. It took me a few minutes, but I was able to pull the bottle out of the bag and set it down on the floor. Carefully, I lifted a hoof and began to tap the lid gently, my taps becoming harder and harder as my frustration mounted. When that reached its peak, I stomped my hoof down hard in anger, wincing as the plastic immediately split and the water gushed out onto the floor. I stood motionless, watching as the precious liquid seeped into the red and gold rug.

I sighed softly as the realisation hit me that I would have to leave Hogwarts, at least for a little while. I eyed the door doubtfully, knowing full well that I would never fit through it. I then turned towards my glass window, analysing the best way to get out while being as discrete as possible. I closed my eyes, praying that my idea would work, before casting a silent vanishing spell. I opened one eye slightly and sighed in relief when I saw that the glass had gone. Now time for my escape. I walked over to the open window and snorted in frustration as I realised that the gap was still too small! Damn it, why was I so big?! I shook my head, desperately trying to think of the easiest way to get out of here. My thoughts were hastened as another, stronger wave of thirst hit me. O for merlin's sake, there was no easy way out of this. I took a few steps back and whispered mentally.  
" _Bombarda_." The noise was deafening as a huge hole was punched in the side of the wall. It took a few minutes for the dust to settle, but even then, I could hear the sound of raised panicked voices below me. I shook my head to dislodge the dust, ran to the enlarged window and, praying that my wings would not fail, I brought my hindquarters underneath me, and launched out of the window and into the morning sun.

Flying was fantastic! I had never cared for flying on a broomstick, or on a hippogriff, or a thestral, but this I loved. My wings pounded the air effortlessly, lifting me higher and higher and into the clouds. Once I reached a safe height where I couldn't be seen, I stilled my wings and glided through the sky. During my flight, my mind wandered, once again returning to that fateful day when I first laid eyes on her in the Ministry. Her wild raven hair, her menacing cackle, her beautiful face. I thought back to how she had taken my breath away the moment I saw her, and how terrified that had made me. She was a death eater, not just a death eater, but _the_ death eater. The most notorious death eater ever to have lived, the right hand of our greatest enemy, a murderer, insane, beautiful. I shook my head in an attempt to remove her from my thoughts, my front leg twitching in the memory of the mark she had left on me on our second encounter.  
 _Mudblood.  
_ Even in this form the degrading mark haunted me, acting as a constant reminder of that day. My thoughts then shifted to my decision to return to Hogwarts, of Ron`s heartbroken expression when I told him and Harry that I would be leaving, of their desperate pleas to get me to stay, and of that kiss. Ron`s last ditch attempt to get me to stay with him. My mind delved deeper into the memory.

" _Please Hermione, stay with me, with us." My heart ached as I looked into his pleading eyes, knowing full well that my words would hurt him.  
"I`m sorry Ron, but I can't, not after what she did to me. I need to go, I need to feel safe, I need to go back to Hogwarts."  
"But, you`re safe with me Hermione. I, I love you." I smiled sadly at him before turning away, I didn't have the heart to tell him that I didn't reciprocate his feelings. I hadn't taken one step forward before being stopped abruptly by a strong hand on my wrist. My arm was yanked painfully, causing me to spin around and be ensnared in his arms. No sooner had I regained my bearings when I felt his lips crash forcefully against mine and my back slam into a tree. I struggled to get away from him but his hand moved to grab the back of my head and push me deeper into him. I thrashed violently against him, misunderstanding my struggles for passion, he gripped me tighter and moved the hand that was holding my wrist to my jeans zipper. My eyes opened in panic and I thrashed around wildly in a desperate attempt to get free, but it was useless. So instead I closed my eyes and shut down, praying that he would soon stop. After a few minutes, my tactic worked, sensing that I had stopped responding, he pulled away and looked at me with lust filled eyes. Composing myself, I drew myself up to my full height and glared at him coldly.  
"If you ever do that to me again, I will make what Bellatrix Lestrange can do look like child's play! Goodbye Ronald." Fear flickered in his eyes momentarily at the icy tone to my voice, leaving him stunned, I turned around and apparated into the night._

I was brought out of the memory by an icy wind, biting at my body and numbing my wings. I sighed softly at the realisation that I had to land, if only to return feeling to my wings. Slowly, I tilted my wings downwards, and began my steady decent back to the ground. Moisture droplets clung to my skin as I glided down through a cloud, a soft gasp escaped my mouth as I emerged. The view was breath-taking! I could see for miles, below me lay a mix of fields, woodland and rivers, and dotted here and there was the odd house. I chose an area near to a river, and in my eagerness, tilted my wings abruptly downwards, causing me to plummet towards the ground. Paralysing terror consumed me as the ground rushed to meet me, faster and faster until it all became a blur. My terror lessened as I felt a strong gust of wind tear open my wings and slow my descent.

Time seemed to pass in fast forward, I remember the pain wrenching through my body as the wind tore at my wings, the relief at feeling my body slow down, the mind numbing agony as my body felt like it was being broken in multiple places, and then, nothing.

 _ **This is my first Bellamione fan fic, reviews and critiques are welcomed and encouraged :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hi everyone, I have been overwhelmed by the support I had received for this story so far. Your reviews make me very happy :) I hope you enjoy this next chapter, unfortunately, I will not be able to post another chapter until mid July as I am going on holiday. But I will try and get it up as soon as I can. Please enjoy and review :)**_

When I came to it was dark, an icy chill had blanketed the countryside. The first thing that I noticed was that I was cold. Scrap that, I was freezing. Dangerously so. Slowly, I lifted my head and tried to get my bearings. I was on the floor, but not on the floor, I was, I was lying in, water? My mind felt foggy as I tried desperately to remember what happened. I started to get up when a searing pain shot up my back, causing me to collapse ungracefully back into the water, where I lay trembling as the pain surged through my body.

Hours seemed to have passed before the pain finally subsided. Slowly, I lifted my head and turned to look at my body, gasping as my mind processed what it was seeing.

Blood.

So much blood. My ebony coat dulled by the staining of it, one wing was trapped painfully underneath me and the other lay limply at my side. I could feel the rocks of the river bed digging sharply into the soft underside of my belly. My back and hindquarters were numb, and I dared not think of the damage that had been done there. I closed my eyes as another wave of pain hit me, causing memories to flash before them. The escape from Hogwarts, the flight, the memory, the cold, the descent, the crash. Terror swept through me as I realised the severity of my situation. No one knew where I was, that I had changed or even that I had left Gryffindor tower.

I was alone.

Alone, cold, tired and injured.

Tears fell from my eyes as my body trembled, whether it was from the cold or the pain, I was not sure. I was going to die here, I would never see my friends again, and never would I walk through Hogwarts or see my parents.

My parents! Who was going to tell them of my death? More sobs wracked my body at the knowledge of the pain that my death would cause them.

As the night wore on, my sobs quietened as my body fell into unconsciousness. The last thought that crossed my mind was of the raven haired death eater, and with that, I fell into the darkness.

I was dead.

This I knew because I was no longer cold, my body felt warm and pain free. I sighed sadly, I would miss my friends and family, and in return, they would never know what happened to me, they would never get the closure or answers they deserved.

As the time wore on, brief images flashed before me, images that didn't make sense.

Running footsteps, a concerned face, a distant voice, hands running over me, floating, a manor, more hands, warmth. The list carried on as images merged into one another, causing my mind to blur with confusion, and lose consciousness.

When I next came around to a state of consciousness, if that's what you could call it, my mind registered something different. The distant voice from before, was no longer distant. I could not make out who it belonged to, but I could tell it was female, it was soft and compassionate. A flicker of hope flared through me, perhaps I wasn't dead! Perhaps someone had found me! I battled through the haze that was clouding my mind, excitement blazing through me as I dared to hope that someone had found me, that I wasn't alone. I must have stirred slightly, as soft hands ran down my neck, stroking softly and murmuring something I couldn't quite catch.

As the haze lessened, I felt life start to return to my body, my breathing became stronger, my muscles twitched and my eye lids fluttered. It took me a few minutes, but I was able to open my eyes and pull myself up so that I was still lying down, but was able to look around.

I was in what I think was a bedroom. That's if the furniture that was pushed flush against the walls was anything to go by. The room was tastefully decorated in a combination of purple and black, huge purple drapes hung at window on the far side of the room, and the luxurious carpet was a rich plum. As my eyes took in my surroundings, I noticed that I was lying on what looked like several plush quilts and that my wings had been bandaged and strapped. On further inspection, I found several large bandages wrapped around my hindquarters and midsection, and surprisingly, I wasn't in any pain. Whoever had found me had looked after me very well. A large bucket of water had been placed a foot or so in front of me, easy enough to reach without having to get up. Ungracefully, I flung my head into the bucket and began to drink greedily, the cool liquid soothing my dry throat. I drank until my thirst had been sated and the bucket was empty. Sighing contently I decided to go and find my knight in shining armour.

I had just gathered my legs underneath me when soft hands pushed me back down from behind.  
"Shhh, steady, its ok. You`ve got to stay down though." I froze in terror. I knew that voice! The voice that had been haunting my dreams for the past 2 years! But no it couldn't be, it was too gentle, too soft, it was lacking the insane cackle and the childlike mocking. As my body began to tremble, this time out of terror, my fears were confirmed as the soft hands rubbed me soothingly as the voice washed over me again.  
"Shh, come on, it's ok. You are going to be alright. I've got you." My body began to tremble violently, causing the soft hands to stop their ministrations. I lay there, silently begging that this wasn't happening, that it was a figment of my imagination, or better still, a nightmare.

The rustling of clothing brought me sharply back to reality. This wasn't a nightmare, or a figment of my imagination. No this was very real. Dread seeped into my body as I understood the full severity of my situation. The brave Gryffindor inside me contemplated trying to escape, but I knew in my heart, that I wouldn't stand a chance in my current state. I lay there silently, the brightest witch of her age reduced to a trembling, broken wreck.

Then came the footsteps. My breathing stopped as time seemed to slow down. I could barely hear the footsteps over the deafening noise of my heart beating frantically in my chest.

The seconds passed like hours before the owner of the voice appeared before me, and my heart stopped. Terror, mixed with, joy (?) surged through me as I lay wounded and powerless, looking into the dark orbs of the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange.

 ** _Also, I am finding myself in need of a beta for this story, if you are interested, please send me a message_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hello everyone, I am really sorry for the huge delay in updating, please forgive me. I am also very grateful for all of the reviews and messages asking me to continue with the story. I am still looking for a beta if anyone would be interested. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

Dark orbs widened as they locked onto my own, what appeared to be alarm flashing through them. Another wave of panic hit me as a sickening thought flashed through my terror stricken mind.

 _Did she know who I was? Did she somehow recognise me?_

I was that caught up in my overwhelming terror that I didn't notice when she sunk to her knees in front of me, nor did I hear the soft soothing words coming from her lips. It was the feeling of soft, but strong hands on my cheeks that brought me crashing back into the moment.

Everything stopped. Time. My terror. My breathing. My heart.

Slowly, everything started to work again. My heart resumed its frantic beat, my breathing its fearful rhythm. The seconds began to tick by again, and yet, the only thing that had failed to return to normal was my terror. It was rather the opposite! Slowly, it was ebbing out of me, this in itself alarmed me. This should not be happening, I should not be being calmed by the touch of a death eater, never mind Bellatrix Lestrange! With my receding terror also came a calming of my breathing, which then in turn slowed the frantic pounding of my heart. Subconsciously, I noticed how patient Bellatrix sat, her hands never left their soothing position on my face, her expression remained calm and gentle, her eyes soft and comforting. This was not a side I believed she possessed.

We sat like this for what seemed to be hours, when in reality only half an hour had passed. A soft hand gently caressed the side of my face, causing my gaze to lift to hers once more, and what I saw took my breath away.

She was smiling. Not her usual sadistic smile, or a menacing smirk, but a genuine heartfelt smile that made her almost glow. It was in this moment that I could truly appreciate and acknowledge how beautiful she actually was.  
"There, that's better, I can't have you passing out on me again now can I gorgeous girl?" My heart fluttered slightly at her choice of pet name. I still couldn't get over how kind and caring her voice was when she wasn't cackling sadistically or mocking. I sighed softly, earning another soft caress. To my disappointment she removed her hands from my face and began to get to her feet.  
"I guess we ought to think about getting you something to eat so we can get you healed and back on your feet. So what do you fancy? I`m sure I could get some grass for you from outside, or maybe have the elves make up some oats or something. I`m sorry, I've never had a horse before." I snorted loudly in protest and flicked my ears back, causing her eyes to widen in surprise and her face to flush with embarrassment.  
"I`m sorry, not a horse, I meant Pegasus, I didn't mean any offence." Her soft smile returned as my eyes softened and my ears went forward again.  
"Well then smarty pants, what does a _Pegasus_ eat?" Her playful emphasis caused me to snort softly in amusement.  
"What about carrots?" I shook my head at her, I really wanted some chocolate, or cake, or something delicious.  
"Erm, apples? Sugar cubes? Hay? Mints?" My amusement grew as she began to list off clichéd horse food. On and on she rambled, trying desperately to think of something. If only there was some way of telling her what I wanted. I closed my eyes and began to fantasize of a big tray of assorted cakes and snacks, all loaded with sugar and covered in chocolate. My mouth watered in anticipation. A loud gasp brought me out of my daydream and snapped my eyes wide open, Bellatrix was staring at me, her mouth open in shock. Her voice trembled slightly as she looked at me.  
"Did you do that?" Her question was met with my blank expression. I didn't know what she was on about, maybe the craziness had not stayed far away at all. A brief flicker of, anger (?) flashed in her eyes before returning to back to stunned. Her eyes bore into mine as she fought for the right words.  
"You… you. How did you do that? You put images in my head?" A harsh, accusing tone had begun to creep into her voice, bringing a touch of steel into her otherwise soft gaze. It was not much, but it was just enough to bring back memories of our last meeting, of the ruthless insane woman that had branded me forever. Instinctively, ignoring the pains of protest, my body shrank in on itself and my eyes lowered to the floor as I began to tremble in fear.

A few tense moments had passed, when, after nothing had happened, I dared to flick my eyes back up to hers. Her dark eyes were haunted and glazed over, as if reliving a memory. Her already pale skin had paled some more and a sheen of sweat dusted her brow. Fearful of the repercussions of invading what was obviously a very private and vulnerable moment, I let my gaze drop back to the floor. The tension caused my trembling to slowly become worse and for my breathing to hasten and become uneven. As my panic escalated, I felt my head being cradled in strong arms and a soothing voice whispering in my ear.  
"Shhh, come on baby girl, its ok. I`m sorry, I didn't meant to frighten you." Once again, my body betrayed me and began to calm down under her gentle care.  
"I`m sorry, it's just that I`ve had too many experiences of images being put in my head by others, and it never ended well." She paused to smile at me softly, her hands softly stroking a spot right behind my ears that caused me to sigh deeply and my eye lids to droop in enjoyment.  
"You like that do you gorgeous girl? Well maybe I can continue after you have eaten some of those delightfully sugary chocolate snacks that you happened to show me." Her tone, although amused and light, had an undercurrent of fearful curiosity, like she was curious about our apparent connection, but also apprehensive. If it were physically possible, I think my jaw would have dropped in shock. I had no idea how I had manage to communicate with her, or if I could even do it again, but I was definitely grateful! My stomach grumbled loudly, earning a playful smirk from Bellatrix. She released my head from her hands, and swiftly got to her feet.  
"Stay there, I will be back shortly." With that, she apparated from the room.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days passed in a haze of food and sleep. One minute I would be munching my way through a stack of sugary snacks, the next I was sleeping. My dreams were a mix of good and bad. I dreamt of Hogwarts a lot, and of my friends and family. And yet, I also dreamed of the raven haired witch who I owed my very life to. In many of these dreams, the lines would blur, leaving me confused as to where my loyalties lay. One dream in particular stood out from the rest.

 _I stood on the precipice, the sounds of shouting and screaming drifting up from the battle scarred castle below. The wind ripped through my mane, causing it to billow out behind me like a black veil. My body trembled in anticipation of what was to come. What ever happened this day, the future would be changed forever._

 _A gentle caress of my wing brought me back to reality, I turned softly and my eyes softened at the sight of my dark queen.  
"I`m here gorgeous girl." Her once menacing voice was soft and kind, and instantly calmed my rising nerves. Silently, she took her place at my side, resting her hand in the dip of my large shoulders. We stood like this for a few moments, the dark queen and her Gryffindor princess, side by side, looking down onto the burning castle. It felt almost god like._

 _Our quiet moment was disturbed by the deafening reality. We had a job to do. With a sigh, her hand moved from my shoulder to my wing, in a wordless request. I sighed gently and dipped my wing, granting her the permission she sought. Without a word, she grabbed hold of a piece of my mane and vaulted lightly onto my bare back. Once settled, my wings moved to cover her legs, securing her to me. She reached out her hand to stroke me gently on my shoulder.  
"You ready to do this then beautiful?" I snorted softly and dipped my head in reply. I could feel the anxious excitement running through her slim frame, she always did love a good battle. I brought my back legs underneath me and reared in excitement, my wings extending out to pound the air. Bellatrix let out her signature war cry and I dropped back down onto all fours, whinnying in response before leaping off the cliff and letting my unfurled wings catch the wind that would carry us down to the battle ground below._

I awoke to the sound of raised voices. Raising my head I strained to hear the conversation happening below.  
" _Bella they will be coming for you! Potter and Weasley told them what you did to her, they will look to you first! Will you at least think about...?"  
"I will not leave! Not now, not ever! If those imbeciles think they can best me then they are very mistaken Cissy."_  
" _But Bella, what have you got to stay here for? Why don't you come and stay with me for a little while, just until the mudblood is found?"_ I sat motionless, they were talking about me! They must have realised I had left Hogwarts! How long had I been here? I quickly made an assessment of the state of my body and inhaled sharply in shock. My bandages, they were gone! My previously marred body was bandage free and once again flawless. I was ecstatic, I could get up, and I could go home! At that thought my heart sunk a little bit, part of me had come to care (?) for the dark witch that had saved my life. I shook my head in a desperate attempt to rid myself of these feelings. Any further thoughts were interrupted by Bellatrix`s signature insane cackle.  
" _Stay with you? In that house? With your pathetic excuse of a husband! I think not Cissy. His cowardice riles me! He does not deserve to sit at the feet of our lord, never mind at his side!"  
"Be that as it may Bella, the mudblood is missing and they will look to you first! You are in danger!" _Once again, the familiar cackle reached my ears.  
" _In danger? O please Cissy, I am the best duellist of the age, they could not hope to defeat me! If that is all then see yourself out, I have things to do."_ There was a brief silence before the sound of someone apparating. The sound of footsteps on the stairs brought me back into the moment and I quickly scrabbled to my feet, my muscles protesting after being idle for so long. I had barely got to my feet when the door burst open and in strode the dark witch. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of me on my feet before her face lit up in a heart-warming smile.  
"Hey gorgeous girl. You`re obviously feeling better. Let me just check you over." She moved to stand next to me and I was amazed at how small she seemed to me! Her soft hands ran over my wings, flexing them slightly to check for any lingering damage. Once satisfied, her hands moved to examine my sides, causing me to twitch slightly and nicker as she came in contact with a ticklish spot. She turned to me, eyebrows raised with an amused grin on her face.  
"You ticklish there huh?" I dipped my head and snorted softly, earning a soft snigger. She winked at me before returning to her examination.  
"I will bear that it mind for future reference." As her hands ran over my lower belly and legs, warmth began to spread through my body, causing my heart to flutter and my breathing to quicken. I am pretty sure that if I was in human form, I would have blushed! I shook my head and snorted loudly, I could not be feeling these things, I could not be getting aroused from the touch of this woman!  
 _Why not?_  
My conscious seemed to pick this moment to stir, making me uneasy as I began to question myself.  
 _Because she is a death eater! The right hand of our greatest enemy! Because she is Bellatrix frigging Lestrange!  
And?  
_The unsettling thing was, was that I did not have a reply to give. Misinterpreting my distress for pain, the soft hands quickly moved from my sides to my face.  
"Shh its ok, I didn't mean to hurt you." Her hands stroked my face tenderly as she searched my expression for signs of pain.  
"Come on, let's get you back down so you can rest some more." I started to shake my head but she quickly silenced me with one look. Sighing in defeat, I walked back over to my pile of blankets and carefully lowered myself back onto them. She smiled kindly before disappearing from the room, only to return moments later with a tray of sugary treats and the Daily Prophet. My eyes lit up at the sight of the food and I began to tuck in as soon as she set the tray down. Walking around to my side, she quickly sat herself down and leant her back against my stomach. I stopped eating to look at her, my heart fluttering at the innocent gesture. It felt so natural and right. I returned back to my dinner as she opened up the Daily Prophet.

We sat like this for a little while, the only sounds were birds singing outside and the soft crunching of my teeth. Just as my eyelids began to droop she spoke.  
"I wonder where she has gone?" I turned my head to look at her curiously, she replied by lifting the paper so I could see the front page, only to be shocked as I lay staring at my human face. Underneath in big bold letters were the words  
 **Missing from Hogwarts: Hermione Granger.  
** Below was a large paragraph containing theories of how and where I had gone. A lot of them thought I was dead, a lot thought I had been abducted. What surprised me was the amount of people who were accusing Bellatrix of kidnapping me. It was quite ironic really, out of all the people who could have found me and looked after me, it was the one person who everyone was accusing.  
"I hope she isn't dead," My eyes widened in shock as I turned back to look at her.  
"It would be such a dreadful waste. She has so much potential and is so clever. Did you know she broke into my vault disguised as me? I`m still unsure how she pulled it off, I guess some of my hair could have landed on her, we were very, close, the last time I saw her. But even so, it would take an amazing actress to be able to pass as me." Despite the touch of arrogance in her otherwise soft voice, I smiled proudly to myself, her words of praise both shocked and pleased me. Her hand moved to stroke my sides softly.  
"I can see why they are blaming me. The last time we met I did some things to her that I can never take back, and yet I have never met such a strong witch, never mind a mudbl…. muggleborn. I crucioed her so many times I lost count, and then when she would not give in I used the most horrendous spell on her, forever branding her and marking her beautiful skin. What I would give to take it back." I couldn't believe what I was hearing, never in my life had I been so utterly shocked! Here she was, Bellatrix Lestrange, saying that she actually regretted something! And complimenting me! And did she call me beautiful? My inner monologue was interrupted by a quiet sniffing. I lifted my eyes to her face and felt my heart break.

Bellatrix Lestrange was crying.

 _ **I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, your reviews are what keep me writing, I love to hear what you all think :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

For a few minutes I just lay there, too shocked to think or move.

When the shock began to wear off my brain went into overdrive. Here, sat beside me, was the most dangerous and feared woman to ever have lived. And yet, her slim body shook violently as tears streamed down her face.

Tears that were shed in regret over a lowly mudblood.

Me.

Sympathy and pity began to work their way into my heart. I knew I should be happy, that I should be revelling in her moment of weakness, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not conjure up those feelings. All I wanted to do at this moment was wrap my arms around this woman, hold her close and tell her that everything would be alright. In the absence of having arms, I decided to do the next best thing, I carefully shuffled closer to her and lay my head in her lap.

For a few minutes nothing happened, but then soft fingers began to stroke my face tenderly, her trembling began to calm down and her tears subside.

We stayed like this for a while, every now and again I would feel a tear land on my neck only to be brushed away moments later. My eyes began to close in relaxation under her soft hands. She must have noticed this as moments later she chuckled quietly to herself, the sound, so foreign was beautiful.  
"Well I guess there is no use crying about it now is there gorgeous girl? I cannot take back the things I have done to her, nor would she want me anywhere near her to try to." I sighed softly and pressed my head deeper into her lap, trying to convey some sign of compassion to her.  
"Thank you for the hug though sweetie. How is it that I have known you for such a short time and yet you are one of the only beings in this world other than Cissy that can comfort me like that?" I snorted gently and sat up to look at her. Her eyes were red from crying and her hesitant smile reminded me of a child. So innocent and vulnerable. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against mine, our breathing soon falling into sync.

Our peaceful moment was soon shattered by a loud bang from downstairs. Our eyes snapped open in alarm as we began to clamber swiftly to our feet. Once steady on our feet, a hand on my chest pushed me back a step as Bellatrix stood protectively in front of me with her wand drawn. We stood in silence for a few minutes, listening carefully for any sounds. For a couple of seconds nothing happened, and then I could hear a muffled voice and ascending footsteps. Our visitor was coming up the stairs! Before any of us had chance to react, a familiar angry voice reached our ears.

Narcissa.

" _See yourself out! Who is she just to dismiss me like that? I am not a house elf for crying out loud! I am her sister! The whole country is in uproar and she picks now to be a secretive cow! When I get my hands on her! BELLATRIX! Where the hell are you?"_ Bellatrix turned to look at me, anxiety and panic written all over her face. Never before could I have imagined Narcissa Malfoy to have such a temper, I always thought of her as cold and distant. But then again, I guess a temper and craziness runs in the Black family! My thoughts were interrupted by soft hands pushing frantically against my chest, my eyes quickly met her panicked ones.  
"Come on girl, we`ve got to get you out of here. I cannot let her see you, it is too much of a risk, I cant let anyone take you away from me. I .." Whatever she was about to say was cut off when the door was blasted off its hinges to reveal a very angry Narcissa Malfoy.

Her sapphire eyes flashed dangerously between Bellatrix and myself, her anger intensifying as she noticed the red puffy eyes and the tear tracks on her sister's face. Her face contorted in fury as she marched over to us and shoved a startled Bellatrix to the floor.  
"What have you done?! What have you done to my sister you filthy beast?" My eyes widened in fear as I skittered backwards as she aimed her wand at my chest. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Bellatrix scramble to her feet, her eyes wide in panic.  
"Cissy no!" Moments before she reached her sister, a red bolt of light erupted from the tip of Narcissa`s wand and crashed straight into my chest, followed swiftly by another. I screamed and reared in panic as I desperately tried to get away from the volley of spells that were raining down on me. Through the thick shroud of pain I could just make out the murderous look on the blonde witches face and the piercing cold eyes that bore into me. Before I had chance to look any more, my hoof slipped in a puddle of blood, and at the same time another spell slammed into me, knocking me off balance and bringing me crashing down to my knees.

The pain was excruciating.

Blood began to pool around my knees and my vision began to blur as more and more blood left my body. Subconsciously I noticed Bellatrix rushing towards me, her face twisted in anger and panic as she screamed at her sister. The moment she reached my side, my back legs gave out and brought me down on my side, the jarring motion causing more blood to pour from my chest. My vision darkened as I grew weaker and colder. Just before I lost consciousness, I felt soft hands on my chest and a warm tingling feeling. Her voice was soft and gentle as she comforted me.  
"Its ok gorgeous girl, I`m here."  
With that the darkness overcame me and I lost consciousness.

I awoke with an extreme feeling of déjà vu. Once again I lay on a pile of blankets wrapped in bandages and once again I awoke to that same caring voice. I lifted my head and blinked rapidly as the room came back into focus, my gaze quickly locking onto concerned obsidian eyes. Bellatrix sat not two feet from me, her body tense and her eyes wide with worry. As her gaze met mine, her eyes softened slightly and her body relaxed.  
"Hey gorgeous girl, how ya doing? I was getting a bit worried that you wouldn't wake this time." Her tone, although soft, betrayed how anxious she had really been. I snorted softly and leant forward to rest my nose on her knee, earning myself a teary smile and a gentle rub behind my ears.

The sound of shuffling behind me made me snap out of our quiet moment and whip my head around to investigate the offending noise. My blood turned to ice and my chest throbbed in memory, as there, sat stiffly in a black leather armchair, was Narcissa.

Fear flooded my veins at the sight of her. I ripped my head from Bellatrix`s lap and scrambled frantically to my feet, my newly healed wound tearing open at the sudden movement. Subconsciously, I noticed a look of, guilt or sorrow? I couldn't quite tell, on Narcissa`s pale face. But I was too panicked to pay much attention. My eyes rolled wildly as I recoiled away from her, my hooves frequently losing their grip on the floor as they slipped in the blood that was pooling out of my freshly disturbed wound. I stopped abruptly when my back legs hit the wall behind me.

I was cornered.

I looked around, desperately trying to find a way out of here. Away from the blonde witch that had attacked me.

In my panicked state, I failed to register Bellatrix approaching me cautiously. Or the soft, comforting words coming out of her mouth. It wasn't until the warm tingling of a healing spell washed over me and soft hands rested on my chest, that my terror started to lessen and the storm in my mind began to calm. Slowly, my erratic breathing steadied, my eyes stopped rolling and my blurred vision returned to normal.

My heart fluttered slightly as my eyes meant those of Bellatrix and a small smile adorned her face.  
"Shh, its ok gorgeous girl, you are safe, I won't let her hurt you again.." Her soft words were the perfect antidote for my distressed state of mind. Her hand lifted slightly to touch the base of my neck, silently inviting me to lower my head. As I brought my head down into her hand, the tension in the room eased somewhat and I trembled slightly as I released a shaky breath. Gentle hands rubbed my face comfortingly as caring eyes met my own.  
"You left me, in your panic. Where did you go huh? You had me worried that I was going to have to stun you to drag you out of your blind panic. And I can tell you, I would much rather not have half a tonne of winged horse flying across my bedroom! Just think of the damage that would do!" She winked cheekily at me and her light-hearted tone made me snort in amusement.

Of course, the elephant in the room had to be addressed at some stage. So, we reluctantly parted and Bellatrix swiftly healed my chest before we both turned to look at a very uncomfortable Narcissa.

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter, reviews are greatly appreciated as they encourage me to keep writing. I am still looking for a Beta for my story, if anyone is interested, please send me a message.**


	6. Chapter 6

For a few moments nobody moved.

Narcissa looked from me to Bellatrix, and then back again. Her eyes swirling with conflicting emotions.

I could feel the anger rolling of Bellatrix in waves as she fought to contain herself. My eyes flicked from blue to brown, desperately trying to analyse this mine field of a situation.

Just as Bellatrix was about to unleash her maelstrom of fury upon her sister, I snorted softly and gently nudged her with my nose. As her eyes locked onto mine, I could feel her fury start to calm, her heavy, shaky breaths began to steady and the tension in the room dropped from a critical level to a moderate one. Her dark eyes softened briefly before turning cold as she turned to look at her sister.  
 **"** Apologise **."** The single word was spat out with such venom that the blonde witch flinched.  
 **"** Bella, I`m so …"  
"Not to me! To her **!"** Her voice thundered through the room, cutting off whatever Narcissa was going to say. For a few minutes the blonde witch sat there, eyes wide in confusion as she considered Bellatrix`s demand. Confused blue eyes met mine before returning to the dark witch. A look of indignation flashed across her pale features.  
 **"** Apologise? To who? The _horse_?!" I snorted loudly in protest and stamped my foot, startling Narcissa into silence and earning a chuckle from Bellatrix.  
 **"** No dear sister, to the _Pegasus_ that can obviously understand every word that comes out of your mouth! The same Pegasus that you almost killed in your childish fit of rage brought on by the apparent wounding of your non-existent pride!" Whatever defence Narcissa had created for herself dissolved as the truth of Bellatrix`s words sunk in.  
 **"** For fuck`s sake Cissy, you didn't even wait to ask what was going on or how you could help! You couldn't reign in your petulant anger long enough to understand the situation! You just launched into cold blooded bitch mode and nearly killed the one of the few things in this world that I appear to give a rat's arse about!" Despite the venom in her words, my eyes softened at her last admission and a comforting hand rested on my shoulder. Narcissa at least had the decency to look as apologetic as her pure blood pride would allow. She cleared her throat quietly, clenching her hands together nervously as she thought of a response that would appease her enraged sister. When she did speak, her voice was small and soft.  
"You are right. But before I do apologise, I want both of you to understand why. **"** She paused to look at us, wordlessly asking permission to continue. Both Bellatrix and I nodded our heads, intrigued to hear what she had to say and to my surprise, she spoke directly to me.  
"Bellatrix and I, we did not have the best childhood in the world. I will not bore you with all of the details, but what you need to know is that Bella was and still is my rock. She protected and loved me, the likes of which I was never shown by my mother and father, or even my husband for that matter. So as you can imagine, we have always had a close bond and have shared pretty much everything with each other. So a week ago, when she started to become secretive and closed off, it troubled me greatly. After hearing about the mudblood Grangers disappearance from Hogwarts, and knowing of the encounter Bella last had with her, I assumed that was the cause of her secrecy. That she was lying low while all this nonsense about her kidnapping the girl blew over. So naturally, I came to see her earlier, hoping that if I could warn her of what was going on, that she would talk to me again, that things would return to normal. But no, she laughed at me and ignored my concern, dismissing me like she would a common house elf! So, I complied with her wishes and decided to take a walk through the gardens to clear my head. And you know what? It didn't work. The more I thought about it, the more I panicked. My Bella had always trusted me, I am the only person that can say that she would trust with her life. Not even the Dark Lord can boast of that achievement!" I noticed a spark of pride and a faint glimmer of mockery in Narcissa`s eyes at that point. She took a couple of breaths before continuing.  
"So I decided to come and talk sense into Bella, or at least try to. And out of all the situations I had planned for, I can assure you, that walking in and finding my sister, eyes red from crying, standing next to a huge black Pegasus, had not even crossed into the realms of my imagination! Once I saw the tearstains on Bella`s face, I immediately forgot my anger with her. Instead it consumed me and I redirected it onto you, for I had assumed that you were the cause of my Bella`s distress. As for the rest, well, you know." Narcissa`s eyes fell to her lap and she nervously awaited a response. I could feel the rolling waves of tension emanating from Bellatrix cease as she began to understand what her sister had said. She sighed heavily before taking a step closer to the blonde witch.  
"Cissy, why did you not stop when I told you to? Why did you continue to hurt her?" Bellatrix`s voice had faded to all but a whisper. Narcissa raised her eyes to meet her sisters, her ice queen façade cracking as a lone tear slid down her face.  
"I don't know Bella. I guess I was just so caught up in the anger, so caught up in my overriding instinct to protect you, that nothing else mattered." For once, Bellatrix was quiet as she studied her sister.  
"Very well. However the forgiveness isn't mine to give, I wasn't the one who nearly died as a result of your lack of judgement." She turned and walked back to stand beside me, laying a comforting and on my shoulder. Narcissa flinched before bowing her head slightly.  
 **"** Of course Bella, I haven't forgotten **."** And to my surprise, she rose gracefully from her chair and came to stand a few feet in front of me. Automatically I tensed as I watched her warily, the events of a few moments ago still very fresh in my memory. My eyes flickered in guarded amusement as I watched her internal struggle to unbend her pride and stabilize her crumbling walls.

It was at that moment that I saw her for who she really was.

I still saw the proud woman. But I also saw the scared and vulnerable woman that hid behind the icy mask. I saw the woman who had fought for every scrap of love and attention her whole life. The woman whose life had been ruined by this war. The woman who would kill and be killed, in order to save the people she loved and who loved her in return.

I sighed softly as the truth of my observations finally sunk in. I could not hate any person that only wanted to protect the people they cared about.

"I am truly sorry for what I did to you. I was only trying to protect Bella. But still, I should not have treated you as I did. Please except my deepest apology." I regarded her briefly before taking a step towards her and lowering my head so that our eyes were level. Once her gaze met mine, I snorted softly and bowed my head in acceptance. Hesitantly, she raised her hand as if to touch me, before nerves got the better of her and she retreated shyly.

 _Apology accepted Narcissa._

The unspoken words echoed through my mind as I stretched my neck out in an invention for her to reach back out to me. If it wasn't for my attention being focussed solely on the blonde witch, I would have missed the shiver that ran through her body and the brief flash of shock and panic in her eyes. Confused at her strange reaction, I began to pull back my head, only to stop when she raised a pale hand and let it hover a few inches from my nose. Her eyes had softened slightly and a small smile played at the corners of her mouth. Gently, I pushed my nose into her outstretched hand, her smile widening as she let out a shaky breath. For a few moments we just stood there in silence.

After a few moments, Bellatrix decided to make her presence known again.  
"Well I`m glad you have apologised to her Cissy and that you can both get along. Now you are going to clean up the mess you created while I make sure my healing spell held!" Narcissa rolled her eyes at her sister before moving away to clear up my blood. As soon as she left, Bellatrix took her place and cradled my head gently.  
"Hey gorgeous girl, let's see how you are doing. I wasn't sure if a healing spell would work on you, but I was desperate." I sighed softly as her hands moved from my face to inspect her spell work. While she worked I watched Narcissa clean the floor, the thought alone caused me to snort in amusement. Never in a million years would I have thought that Narcissa Malfoy would clean up like a common house elf! Well not quite like a house elf, she was far too graceful and ladylike for that. I watched as she wordlessly began to cast her spells, her wand movements almost hypnotic as she moved between them.

I must have dozed off as the next thing I knew I was being shaken awake. My eyes felt heavy as I slowly opened them and peered down at Bellatrix and Narcissa, who were watching me curiously. Bellatrix smiled and rubbed my shoulder gently.  
"Come on you, bed." I must have been tired as I followed her order without opposition. I wandered over to my pile of blankets and carefully lowered myself down, careful not to irritate my newly healed wound. Just before my eyes closed, I saw Bellatrix smile softly at me before leaving the room. A gesture that was not lost on Narcissa. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her sit down a few feet away from me and watch me anxiously. Just as I was about to succumb to sleep, her tense voice washed over me.  
 **"** I heard you **."  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for all of your reviews, please keep them coming as they are the only way I can tell how I am doing with the story. Just to help any confusion, the text in plain bold is what Hermione is saying telepathically. I hope you enjoy this chapter**

 _I heard you._

Those 3 haunting words kept constantly echoing throughout my restless sub consciousness. They resonated throughout each of my dreams, smothering any good feeling and leaving behind a trail of uncertainty and panic in their wake. Each dream would be the same, it would start of pleasant, and then those 3 words would whisper through my mind, immediately erasing any good feeling and leaving me feeling vulnerable and panicked.

I was jolted out of my restless sleep by someone violently shaking my shoulders. I opened my eyes slowly, and as my vision cleared, I was surprised to see blue eyes staring down into my own. Instinctively, panic raced through me as I lurched forward and tried to scrabble to my feet, only to find myself being pushed back down.  
"Shhh, it's ok. Don't panic, I am not going to hurt you." Narcissa`s voice was soft as she gently pushed me back down. My panicked eyes met hers, searching desperately for any sign of deceit or malice. Finding none, I let out a shaky breath and stopped fighting against her. Narcissa sighed in relief as I quit struggling against her. Once she was satisfied that I wasn't going to get up, she removed her hands from my shoulders and walked a few feet in front of me before lowering herself gracefully to the floor. Her eyes never left mine as we watched each other warily. We sat in silence for a few minutes, giving me the perfect opportunity to look around the room. It was still dark outside as no light penetrated the floor length curtains and the room had been returned to its original state. All of the blood was gone and all evidence of the events of a few hours ago had vanished.

The silence between us stretched on for what seemed like hours, until Narcissa cleared her throat, immediately drawing my attention back to her. She wrung her hands together as her gaze met mine.  
"Bella is running an errand for the Dark Lord, she won't be back for a few hours." Her statement, although meant to be comforting, was anything but. My eyes widened and I flinched away from her as my chest twitched in memory of the pain she had caused. Her cold eyes softened slightly as she watched my reaction. She sighed gently as my body tensed.  
"It`s ok, I won't hurt you again. You have my word." Her gentle words did very little to ease my tension, after all, in my experience, purebloods were not known for keeping their word. Sensing my lingering apprehension, she reached into her robes and drew her wand. Fear engulfed me as I recoiled sharply and began to struggle to get to my feet. But before my hooves could get any purchase on the ground, I felt a weight on my back, trapping my wings against my body and pinning me to the floor. Terror surged through me as I thrashed around, desperate to free myself. My hoof crashed into something hard, smashing it and causing pain to ricochet up my leg. I could feel blood dripping down my leg and I vaguely heard someone swear. My already weak body grew weaker as I continued to struggle, draining my energy and leaving me vulnerable bleeding and panting on the floor.

When nothing happened after a few minutes, I felt my fear slowly start to recede and my erratic breathing calm down. The fog clouding my mind began to lift and I was surprised to realise that the weight on my back was Narcissa Malfoy. She turned and locked gazes with me, her blue eyes willing me to stay still. I blinked slowly in response and winced as the pain in my leg increased. Narcissa carefully removed herself from my back and moved to kneel beside my bleeding leg, her gentle hand holding my leg firmly as she healed my leg. Once she was done, she cleaned her hands and moved to sit by my head once again. She sighed and looked at me the way a mother would her misbehaving child, before uncharacteristically rolling her eyes as a small smile graced her lips.  
"Right, so what was I saying before you decided to freak out on me and destroy half the house?" She smirked at me before resuming.  
"I was about to say, since you have no proof that I will stick to my word about not harming you, and since we cannot perform an unbreakable vow, this will have to suffice." And in a move so outrageously unexpected, she took her wand out and rolled it towards me, coming to rest beside my front leg. To say I was gobsmacked was an understatement! Narcissa Malfoy, pureblood slytherin, wife of a death eater, mother to Draco Malfoy and sister to the most notorious death eater to have lived, had just _willingly_ handed her wand over to me. She raised her perfectly sculptured eyebrows and rolled her eyes at my obvious astonishment.  
"O don't look at me like that! It isn't like you can use it against me anyway. But I would prefer it if you wouldn't fly off the handle again, so consider it an assurance of my safety as well as a guarantee of my word. Agreed?" Seeing her logic, I nodded briefly.  
"So now we have established that I am not going to harm you, we do need to talk. And do not pretend to play dumb, I heard you earlier. The fact that you can obviously communicate means you are more than just an animal, but the fact that you were able to get by my occlumency shields is quite alarming. There is only one person that can get passed them, and that is Bellatrix, so tell me, how did you do it?" I wracked my brain, trying to find some answer that would appease the blonde witch.

I must have be searching my mind for a while as Narcissa cleared her throat, bringing my attention back to her.  
 _ **I don't know Mrs Malfoy. I don't know how any of this works. You are the first person I have been able to speak to like this.  
**_ I saw Narcissa quiver slightly as my words entered her head before she regained her composure and nodded briefly. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, a memory flashed through my mind of when Bellatrix first tried to give me food.  
 _ **Mrs Malfoy, are Bellatrix`s occlumency shields as strong as yours?  
**_ "Hers are much stronger than mine, why do you ask?" I pondered my words carefully before responding.  
 _ **At the start, not long after she found me, I accidentally projected images into her mind. They were only innocent images. She was mad at me at first, but I think it might have disturbed her a bit.  
**_ Narcissa considered my words carefully, a small frown adorning her face.  
"Bella has the strongest mind of anyone I have ever known, including Albus Dumbledore and the Dark Lord. Neither one of them have ever been able to break through into her mind, so it would seem reasonable that she panicked and was angry, as it isn't something that she is used to. The fact that you have been able to break through her shields without trying very hard suggests a great power within you. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I am not sure. Have you communicated with Bella any more than just those images?" I shook my head in response.  
"You will have to at some point, but I guess you know that. On to a more important topic, do you have a name? Where did you come from before Bella found you?" I instantly baulked at her questions, panic now racing through me. Would could I tell her that would be believable? If I told her the truth she would kill me where I lay! I should have prepared myself for this! I was Hermione Granger for merlin's sake! I was known for my brains and organisation! Instead I have left myself at the mercy of Narcissa Malfoy!

I do not know how long I was mentally berating myself for my stupidity, but a soft hand on my leg brought me crashing back to the moment. Narcissa was watching me, with a strange mixture of suspicion and pity in her eyes. She smiled reassuringly at me as she rubbed my leg.  
"Shh, it's ok. You can tell me, I have given you my word and my wand that I won't hurt you."  
 _ **But you will take that all back if I tell you.**_ My eyes lifted to meet hers, curiosity and confusion reflected in them.  
 _ **I cannot tell you who I am.**_ A brief flicker of anger at my defiance flashed through her as her body tensed. Sensing the precariousness of the situation, I quickly cut her off before she could speak.  
 _ **I cannot tell you, because your sister would have tortured me and left me to die if she knew who I was. And you, well, you would not hesitate to kill me.**_ Narcissa`s eyes widened and her smile disappeared as my words sunk in. In a blink of an eye she was on her feet and was pacing the room with a look a pure concentration on her face.

Time crawled by as I lay watching the blonde witch, convinced she was going to wear tracks into the carpet. As more time elapsed, my anticipation and nervousness grew, leaving me in a state of near hysteria as the tension in the room escalated.

All of a sudden, she stopped abruptly and turned to face me, an unreadable expression on her face. The look on her face did nothing to ease the vortex of fear that was building up inside me. As the silence stretched on, tremors surged uncontrollably through my body. Narcissa took a deep breath before her eyes met mine.  
"Miss Granger?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to everyone who has sent me a review, they are most appreciated and allow me to see how my story is doing and what I can do to make it better. I am sorry this took longer than planned, I spent quite a while writing and rewriting it as there were a couple of bits I wasn't happy with. So I hope you enjoy this chapter, reviews are always welcome**

My terror exploded inside me as a hurled myself to my feet, ignoring Narcissa`s words of protest and the searing pain that was shooting through my chest.

She knew! I had been discovered! She was going to kill me or worse, let her sister do it! How could I have been so foolish?!

I knew I was overreacting, but the entirety of the past few days came crashing down on me, completely obliterating any sense of calm and rationality as my mind was overruled by fear. I shook my head as I scrambled backwards, my eyes rolling in pure terror as I tried to get as far away as possible from the blonde witch.

My back legs hit the wall with a dull thud that echoed through the room. Through the thick haze of fear I noticed Narcissa walking towards me slowly, her eyes wide and her mouth forming words, none of which I heard in my hysteria. She kept walking towards me, pinning me in the corner of the room. Instinctively, I struck out at her with my front leg in a desperate attempt to get her to stop. My actions caused her to falter for a few seconds before she continued to advance. I struck out at her again, narrowly missing her outstretched hand. More words flowed out of her mouth, but they were foreign to me, I could hear nothing but the deafening pounding of my blood rushing through my veins. My terror reached an entirely new level when she was within touching distance, and so, without thinking of the consequences, I defended myself in the only way I could.

I reared.

I staggered back onto my hind legs, my eyes wild as I lashed out with my front legs.

Somewhere in the inner workings of my hysterical mind, I cheered as my legs connected with something. Through the shroud of terror, I heard Narcissa cry out in pain as she fell to her knees in front of me, her eyes wide in fear as she struggled frantically to get away from me.

I came crashing back down to the floor before leaping over the injured witch and bolting through the open door and onto a balcony. To my left was a long corridor and to my right a stair case. I headed towards the staircase, skidding to a stop when I reached the top and looked down in dismay.

The stairs were marble.

Cold, slippery and very hoof unfriendly!

I stood there panting, pain piercing through my chest. I looked down to see that Bellatrix`s spell work had come undone in my panic, blood oozed out of my chest and dripped onto the floor. Exhaustion was quickly seeping into my bones, my legs began to tremble as my weakened body screamed in protest.

I knew I had very little time before Narcissa found me, or I collapsed. So I grit my teeth, unfurled my wings and hurled myself into the air. My wings, still tender from my crash, groaned in pain as they bore my weight. Despite the pain and exhaustion, the flight down the stairs was relatively smooth. The landing however, not so much. I landed heavy, teetering on my feet as my tired body tried to support me.

Once I was convinced that I was steady enough to move, I headed in the direction of the front door, only to groan in frustration as I found it to be locked. I stood for a few moments, panting as tremors wracking my exhausted body. I battled desperately through the fear that was clouding my mind, desperate to think of a way to get out of here. Just as the tendrils of my mind began to reach out for a spell, a panicked shout echoed through the house.  
"Miss Granger!" My blood went cold as the sound of footsteps above me reached my ears. I closed my eyes tightly in determination as I begged that this would work.  
 _Bombarda!  
_ The big double doors were blown off their hinges, leaving a huge hole in their place. Without hesitation, I gathered what little energy I had, and bolted out into the night.

The cold hit me like a bludger. My frail body shook as it seeped into my bones. Mist pooled from my flared nostrils as warm breath met cold air. I stood for a few moments as I tried to catch my breath. And that was when it hit me.

I was going to die.

The weight of my acceptance brought me to my knees. As I knelt on the frozen ground I knew now, that whatever I did was going to kill me. If I tried to escape, the blood loss alone would kill me within minutes, and if I stayed here, I would just be another person to fall at the hands of a death eater. My thoughts drifted to my friends and family, none of whom I would ever see again. And then they turned to Bellatrix. The dark witch that had saved my life twice, who had shown me her kind and caring side, who had cried at what she had done. Tears rolled down my face at the goodbyes I would never say. My panic began to subside as the truth of my acceptance bore down on me.

Just as I closed my eyes, I heard a commotion from behind me.  
"Miss Granger!" My eyes shot open as my panic began to escalate. I swung my head around to see the blonde witch running towards me, one hand cradled protectively against her chest, and the other extended towards me. Summoning the remaining scraps of energy I had left, I scrambled to my feet and faced her, my head high in pride and my wings flared out as I prepared to fight. I would not go down quietly!

Narcissa had got within 10 feet of me when another voice boomed across the grounds.  
"NARCISSA!" I saw the blonde witch pale as her body quivered. I looked behind her to see a tall dark haired man running towards us, wand drawn and fury plastered on his face.  
"What the bloody hell have you done to my house you fucking bitch?" My gaze dropped to look at Narcissa, who had turned so her back was to me, her thin frame trembling as she raised her wand. With a flick of his wand, the dark haired man had disarmed her, her wand now clutched in his hands.  
"How dare you raise your wand at me! You disgusting whore! You may be my wife's sister, but that will not stop me from punishing you!" A small whimper escaped her shaking lips as she hastily backed away from him,  
"Rod…. please. You are drunk…. it… it was an accident." Despite everything, my heart broke slightly as I watched the proud witch beg and stutter. My anger began to rise, no one should have to be made to beg like this! As he came within a few feet of us, his eyes widened as his brain registered me for the first time.  
"And what the fuck is this? A horse?" Before she could reply, his hand lashed out and struck her hard, the force of the blow sending her to her knees. She whimpered as her free hand cradled her face. As he advanced on her, she began to clamber backwards, stopping when her back hit my front legs. She froze in fear as her head turned to look up at me, her blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. Her face was already starting to blacken and a small trickle of blood ran down her face. A loud scoff brought my attention back to the man.  
"You are pathetic! You think that your bloody pet is going to be able to save you? Nothing can save you now! My darling wife isn't here to protect you, and your pathetic excuse for a husband is nowhere to be seen!" Just as he raised his wand towards the defenseless witch, my mind snapped, no one should be treated like this! I let out a loud piercing whinny as I moved to stand in front of Narcissa, my ears flat back and my teeth bared.  
"O look Narcissa, your pretty pony is trying to protect you, such a shame that it will be for nothing! I will kill it first before I deal with you!" His mocking voice made me see red, adrenaline surged through my body as I lunged at him, my teeth sinking into his wand arm. He howled in pain as he struggled against me, dropping Narcissa`s wand in the process. He successfully freed himself as a punch to the face loosened my grip on him, his face contorting in rage as he raised his wand to me. Before he could utter a spell, I snatched his wand out of his hand with my teeth and reared. My wings pounded the air behind me in fury as I screamed and lashed out with my front legs. He wailed in pain as my hoof connected with his arm, immediately breaking it. I felt myself losing my balance, so I landed heavily before rearing at him again.

I do not know how many times I reared and lashed out at him. It was only when a loud crack echoed across the grounds and I stopped feeling his opposition that I stopped my attack and looked down.

There was blood everywhere!

His body lay broken on the ground, littered with deep cuts and gashes and his robes torn to shreds. My gaze traveled up his body, wincing slightly when I saw his face. Or what was left of it. His skull had been completely smashed in, pieces of bone and brain matter were scattered across the ground, his blood pooling beneath him.

As my adrenaline and rage began to dissipate, the reality of what I had done hit me.

I had killed someone.

The weight of this knowledge came crashing down on me, bringing me down to my knees. My breathing became labored as my panic intensified.

I had killed someone! Me, Hermione Granger! Best friend to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley! Know it all of Gryffindor! Mudblood! My front leg twitched in response to my last thought, my panic increasing tenfold when another realization sunk in.

Not only had I killed someone, but I had killed Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix`s husband! She was definitely going to kill me now! There was no way I was going to survive this!

I flinched as a soft hand touched my shoulder, I lifted my eyes to meet hers. The fear had gone from her, leaving in its wake an emotion that I couldn't identify. She rubbed my shoulder and smiled sympathetically at me and just as she was about to speak, a very familiar voice rang out across the grounds.  
"Cissy!" My blood ran cold as I struggled to breathe, the tremors coursing through my body now clearly visible. I heard running footsteps as my vision began to fade.  
"Cissy, what happened? Why is she out here? Why is half of my house missing? Why is …." The breathless questioning ended swiftly as she slid to a stop beside her sister. I lowered my head to rest on the ground in defeat as my vision flickered and darkened. I felt Narcissa step away from me and take a deep breath.  
"Bella….." It was then Bellatrix must have noticed the body of her husband as a sharp intake of breath cut the blonde witch off.  
"R...Rod?"  
"He`s dead Bella." I am sure I must have been delirious as I swear I could hear an undertone of relief in Bellatrix`s voice, but I could have been wrong. By this point my vision had gone and I was slowly slipping into unconsciousness, the events of the past hour taking a very heavy toll on my already frail body. Another sharp intake of breath pierced the air, and I knew she was coming for me. I whimpered slightly, whether it was from pain or fear I do not know as I sensed Bellatrix come to stand at my side.  
"Cissy, what have you done to her? She's half dead! You knew she shouldn't be doing anything in her condition!"  
"Bella it…" I felt her kneel and soft hands caressed my face tenderly.  
"Shhh baby girl it's alright. Bella`s here. I've got you" I vaguely heard her murmuring something before I felt a warm tingling sensation in my chest as the pain diminished. I lifted my head and whined softly to her in appreciation, but the action proved too much for me as I slipped into unconsciousness.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi everyone, I am sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. I spent quite a while writing and rewriting different chapters from different perspectives, until I finally landed on this one. I hope you enjoy it, as usual, reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome :)**

The sound of raised voices brought me out of my restless sleep, I had been asleep for what seemed like years, constantly being plagued by nightmares. As my surroundings came into focus, I looked around to find the source of the voices.  
"What the fuck were you thinking Cissy? You knew she wasn't strong enough to go anywhere yet! So why did I come back to not only find my house half destroyed and my husband dead, but my Pegasus close to death as well!" The sheer power in her voice rattled the windows in their frames, and despite the swell of delight I had felt at being called hers, I instinctively began to tremble in fear at her voice.  
"Bella I can explain….." Whatever Narcissa was going to say was immediately cut off by an enraged Bellatrix.  
"I do not care for your pathetic excuses Narcissa! She could have died! She nearly did! I thought you were a true Black Cissy! But obviously time spent with your pathetic excuse for a husband has made you weak and pathetic! Get out of my sight!" I lay frozen for a few minutes, my ears straining to catch Narcissa`s reply. My heart pounded fearfully in my chest, this was surely it. This was the moment that Narcissa would tell her who I was and I would be as good as dead.

A few tense, silent minutes passed. Just as I was sure my fear was going to get the best of me, I heard the most unlikely of sounds.

Footsteps.

Narcissa was leaving! With that knowledge my frantic heart began to slow down and I released the breath that I didn't even know I was holding. My overactive brain then started to go into overdrive. Why hadn't Narcissa told Bellatrix? She knew who I was, my actions had confirmed it! So why hadn't she said anything and got herself out of trouble? My inner ramblings were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Nervously, I lifted my eyes to the door, where they locked instantly onto Bellatrix`s dark gaze. Her eyes softened as she looked at me, and in a blink of an eye she had crossed the room and knelt in front of me. Instinctively, I lowered my eyes to the floor and waited.

She sat silent for a few minutes, and when I raised my head to look at her, I was once again surprised to see them glistening with unshed tears. Slowly, she raised her hand to rub my face tenderly, her expression unreadable.  
"What is it about you huh?" Her voice was so uncharacteristically quiet, that I had to strain my ears to hear her.  
"What is it about you that brings out these feelings in me? I feel….. protective, of you. I…..I _care_ about you. I do not understand what is happening, what have you done to me?" Although her voice was still gentle, there was an underlying tone of accusation in her voice, just enough to make me uneasy. I shook my head and snorted softly.  
"I have never spoken to Cissy that way before. But I couldn't help it. When it comes to you, I feel like that there isn't anything I wouldn't do to protect you. And I…. I have never felt that way about anything before." My breath hitched at her confession and my heart surged with emotion. I closed my eyes and rested my head in her lap, in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. Her free arm moved to drape over my neck protectively as her other hand continued stroking my face, gently lulling me to sleep.

I woke up to find myself alone. I lay still for a few minutes while I tried to assess the state of my body and found myself delighted at the fact that I was no longer in pain. In fact, I felt completely rejuvenated. I turned my head to look at the rest of my body and snorted happily when I was greeted by my flawless ebony coat. Tentatively, I stretched my front legs out, testing for any sign of pain or fatigue. Finding neither, I swiftly got to my feet, revelling in the revitalized state of my body. I stood for a few minutes while I carefully stretched out each of my hind legs and then my wings. I then made my way over to the window, took the thick curtain in my teeth and pulled. Sunlight poured into the room, momentarily disorientating me.

When my eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, I looked out of the window. It was a beautiful view of the grounds, perfectly trimmed hedges were dotted here and there, surrounded by beds of different coloured flowers. A long cobblestone drive led up from the imposing metal gates and all the way up to the front of the house. A large fountain stood as the centre piece for the drive, with two onyx dragons standing guard in the heart of the fountain. This was definitely not what I expected the home of Bellatrix Lestrange to look like, my imagination had conjured up something much darker, colder and more sinister, like Malfoy manor. I found myself pleasantly surprised at what I saw. I lowered my head and closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of the winter sun on my skin.

I lost track of the time I stood there, I must have started to doze off, as the sound of ascending footsteps brought me back into the moment. I lifted my head and turned to face the door, pleasantly aware of the sun on my back. The footsteps grew louder as the other occupant of the house grew closer. My body tensed automatically as the door handle began to turn, panicked thoughts racing through my mind. What if it wasn't Bellatrix? Or Narcissa? What if it was someone worse? Someone that would hurt me? Just as my body began to tremble, the door opened to reveal a very cautious looking Bellatrix. Immediately my body relaxed and my tension vanished at the sight of the dark witch. As soon as her gaze locked on to me, her eyes softened and a huge smile appeared on her face.  
"Hey gorgeous girl, how are you feeling today?" She moved quickly to stand in front of me, her small size more apparent now as I towered over her. She raised her hand out and I immediately lowered my head and pushed my nose into her outstretched hand, sighing at the feeling of tranquillity that swept over me. She rubbed my nose gently before stepping away from me.  
"Let me have a look at you then, see how things are healing. You gave me quite a scare. You were unconscious for 5 days, nothing me or Cissy could do could wake you." My surprise must have been evident in my eyes as Bellatrix sniggered softly.  
"Yes, you don't do anything by halves do you? 5 whole days! You do not realise how boring things can get around here without a huge winged horse to look after!" She winked and smiled playfully at me, earning her a snort and a quick nudge of my nose in amused protest. She smiled up at me before her tone grew more serious.  
"And yes, before you start getting all huffy, Cissy apologised and explained everything to me and even offered to help." Once her words had sunk in, I flinched and automatically tensed up, awaiting the legendary rage of the dark witch. There wasn't any point in trying to escape, there was nowhere to go and Bellatrix would catch me before I even made it out of the door, so I closed my eyes and resigned myself to my fate.

A sharp swat on my shoulder caused my eyes to fly open and immediately look at her.  
"Now what did I just say about getting all huffy? Hmmm? You should be honoured that she apologised at all! It's not something her pride often allows her to do. She told me what happened, so move past it, stop being a grumpy nag and lift your wing so I can check you." I stood there absolutely dumbstruck.

Narcissa had told Bellatrix…..and Bellatrix hadn't flown off the handle and tried to kill me. Rather the opposite, she was acting as if it just didn't matter! My head hurt as my brain desperately tried to work through the confusion to figure out a logical explanation. Another slap on my shoulder brought me out of my mental debate. I looked down to see a rather impatient looking Bellatrix.  
"Did you hear me? Stop standing around and lift your wing so I can have a look at it." Her tone was scolding, but her smirk lessened the bite of her words. Still in my confused daze, I lifted the wing closest to her.  
"Good girl, that wasn't so hard was it?" She smirked at me sarcastically and rolled her eyes before moving to look at my wing. Once she had finished her inspection of my wings, she move to stand in front of me so that she could examine my chest. After a few minutes of prodding and poking, she completed her examination and smiled up at me.  
"Well, all of your injuries are healed. It looks like those 5 days unconscious did your body the world of good. I guess it won't be long before you are free to go." A look of sadness appeared across her face, making her beautiful features look tired. Unexpectedly, I was also hit with a wave of sorrow as her words sunk in. I lowered my head and gently pushed it towards her, sighing softly as she leant forward to rest her forehead against mine. Both sets of eyes closed and our breathing swiftly fell in sync.

I am not sure how long we stood like this, taking comfort in each other's presence, but we were brought back to reality by a loud tapping noise on the window. We both turned to look at the window where a beautiful white falcon stood watching us. Bellatrix moved to open the window and held out her arm for the bird to hop on to. Once perched comfortably on the dark witches arm, the falcon ruffled its feathers and lifted a leg, drawing my eyes down to a small pierce of parchment attached to the limb. Bellatrix quickly removed the paper and gently rubbed the bird on the back of its head as she began to read it. After a few minutes, a tentative smile appeared on her face as her eyes lifted to mine.  
"It appears that my dear sister wants to pay us a visit so she can check on you." Seeing the flash of tension in my eyes, she stepped closer to me and lay her hand on my face, rubbing it gently.  
"It seems that you have not one, but two Black sisters fussing over you now." Once again she closed her eyes, rested her forehead against mine and allowed our breathing to fall into sync. When she next spoke, it was so uncharacteristically soft, that I had to strain my ears to hear her.  
"How do you do it huh? How have you managed to get one of the darkest and most feared witches of the age so completely devoted to you? Even my cold and refined sister seems to like you, and other than myself and that annoying brat of hers, she doesn't really like anyone else. Even her pathetic excuse for a husband knows to leave her alone." We stood in silence for a few minutes, taking comfort in each other`s presence. But of course, reality was never far away. With a deep sigh, Bellatrix opened her eyes and moved away from me.  
"As much as I could stand here all day gorgeous girl, I have got to reply to my sister, what do you think, are you up to a visit from her?" My eyes flew open in shock, Bellatrix Lestrange was actually asking for my opinion!

I must have been inside my mind longer than I thought, as the sound of the dark witch clearing her throat brought me back into the moment. My eyes lifted to meet hers, an amused smirk had adorned her face and her eyes sparkled mischievously, immediately obliterating my anxieties. I sighed softly and dipped my head in agreeance. A huge smile appeared on her face as she summoned a quill and parchment and bounded over to the window. She quickly scribbled down a response before carefully attaching it to the falcon and then swiftly moved to stand by my side. We stood in a comfortable silence as we watched the bird fly out of the window and disappear into the morning sun.


	10. Chapter 10

Happy New Year to you all!  
My deepest apologies for the huge time delay in getting this chapter out, I went back to university late September and the workload has been unbelievable! So I thank you for your patience and kind reviews. Please remember that all of the text in _**Bold Italics**_ is Hermione speaking telepathically to Narcissa, and the text in _Italics_ is Narcissa`s memory.

It was an hour before Narcissa came over, and in that time both Bellatrix and I had eaten and were relaxing in the sun. We had picked a spot near the window where the sunlight had flooded in, I was lying down dozing and Bellatrix was sat leaning against me while she read. Only the sounds of birds and soft breathing interrupted the comfortable silence.

 _Crack!_

The familiar sound of apparition echoed like thunder in the silent house, shattering our moment of peace. As I lifted my head Bellatrix sighed softly before bookmarking her page and looking expectantly at the door. After a few moments the door opened and in walked Narcissa, a tentative smile on her face. Neither Bellatrix nor myself moved as we watched her approach.  
"Morning Cissy, see, I told you she was ok." Narcissa rolled her eyes and smirked at her older sister before coming to stand infront of me. When nothing happened for a few minutes, she placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows questioningly.  
"Well are you going to get up then? I cant take a look at you while you`re lying on the floor." Her tone although impatient, held a certain degree of amusement. I looked at Bellatrix who was rolling her eyes and chuckling softly to herself.  
"You better do as she says, otherwise she will have no qualms about dragging you to your feet ." I snorted in amusement before getting swiftly to my feet. Narcissa took a few steps back as her eyes widened, a brief flicker of fear flashing through her eyes before being hastily hidden behind an intense look of concentration. She began to move around me slowly, stopping every few moments to run her hands over various body parts as she examined all of my wound locations. While she was busy examining me, I took the time to look at her, the last time I had seen her she was bruised and bleeding. Now, other than being paler than usual and looking slightly tired, she was back to her well-groomed self. After a few moments of vigilant scrutiny, she stepped back and smiled softly.  
"Well it looks like our hard work paid off. We did wonder for a while whether it would be enough. I lost count of the number of hours we spent trying to heal you. You had completely depleted your body of magic and energy, which made healing your numerous wounds very difficult. In the end, it took several energy and magic transfers from both of us before your body was able to start to heal." Stunned, I turned to look at Bellatrix, who confirmed Narcissa`s story with a gentle smile and a nod.  
"Yes gorgeous girl, you don't do anything by halves do you? Well, since you are up, how do you fancy going for a walk around the grounds, start to strengthen your muscles back up? Not to mention get a bit of exercise, all those sugary cakes and snacks surely cannot be any good for your weight?" Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she grinned at me and out of the corner of my eye I could see Narcissa`s perfectly manicured eyebrows raise as she desperately tried to supress a smirk. I snorted loudly and nudged her firmly with my nose. Taking that as an acceptance, she strode over to the door and held it open as Narcissa and I walked through it.

I huffed in annoyance as we reached the top of the stairs. What was it with purebloods and marble bloody staircases! I turned to look at the two sisters, who were both trying and failing miserably to hide their amusement at my disgruntled expression. I stamped my hoof in frustration before unfurling my wings and launching myself into the air. As I glided down the stairs, I was hit with a sense of déjà vu of the last time I made this flight. The memories were painful, so I quickly directed all of my focus on trying to land. Once all four feet were back on the ground, I turned to look at the two sisters, who were still stood at the top of the staircase mouths open in surprise. A large smile quickly lit up Bellatrix`s face, and with a quick glance at her sister, she bounded down the stairs after me. Narcissa`s descent was a lot more controlled and ladylike, just touched with a shade of haste. Within seconds, both witches were stood by my side in front of the newly repaired door. Narcissa flourished her wand and the large doors swung open, allowing the sunlight to stream into the foyer. With a soft smile, Bellatrix put her hand on my shoulder as the three of us walked out into the sun.

The first thing that hit me was how different everything looked in the light. All traces of my fight with Rodolphus had been erased from the grounds and everything looked so perfect. The hedges, the flowerbeds, the fountains, everything was well kept and flourishing despite the cold touch of winter. A sharp intake of breath caught my attention, and I turned my head to see a wide eyed Narcissa staring out at the grounds, the ghost of the events of a few nights ago evident in her eyes. In a move that surprised me, Bellatrix turned to her distressed sister and pulled her into a hug, her arm rubbing the blonde witches back reassuringly.  
"Shh Cissy, it's alright. The bastard has gone now, he can't hurt you anymore." After a few seconds, Narcissa nodded into her sister's shoulder before stepping out of the embrace and smiling softly . It was clear to me then how deep the bond between the two sisters went and a shard of sorrow crept into my heart for my own friends and family. Sensing my change in mood, both sisters came to stand at my side and Bellatrix lay her hand on my shoulder and rubbed gently.  
"Hey gorgeous girl, its alright." I closed my eyes as her soft words washed over me, soothing my aching heart.  
"Come on then you two, lets go…. Argh! FOR FUCKS SAKE!" My eyes shot open at the shriek that exploded from the dark witch's mouth. Bellatrix had her eyes closed, mouth tight and was gripping her forearm as almost visible waves of pain ricocheted through her body. Narcissa took a deep breath as she looked at her sister sympathetically.  
"He has the worst bloody timing! I`m sorry you two, but I have got to go. Try not to destroy anything or kill anyone while I am gone." The dark witch managed a slight grin before she disapparated into a cloud of black smoke, leaving me and Narcissa staring out after her.

After a few minutes, the blonde turned to me and motioned for us to walk. We walked side by side through the beautifully kept grounds, stopping every now and then when Narcissa would point out a particular type of plant or garden feature. We had been walking about 10 minutes when Narcissa led us into a picturesque clearing, summoned a blanket and sat down. At my confused expression, she lifted one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me and gestured to the space beside her.  
 _Do I look like a ruddy dog?!_  
"No you do not Miss Granger, but I thought you might like to make yourself comfortable." Crap, I didn't mean to say that out loud! My eyes drifted down to the blonde witch, whose eyebrow was still raised curiously as a small smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. She patted the ground again as a mischievous spark flickered through her eyes.  
"Down." Much to her amusement, I huffed in protest before submitting unenthusiastically to her demand. Once settled on the blanket, I turned to look at her inquisitively. When I looked at her carefully, she seemed anxious. Her body language was tense and her previously amused expression had turned cold and guarded. I automatically tensed in response to her rapid change in demeanour, and despite my best efforts to keep calm and relaxed, I began to panic in anticipation of what was to come.

Sensing that the situation was going to escalate rapidly without intervention, I battled to get my anxiety under control before spurting out the first thing that came to mind in a desperate attempt to break the tension.  
 _ **I am sorry about your arm Mrs Malfoy. Believe it or not, it wasn't my intention to hurt you. I just panicked.**_  
Despite the tense atmosphere, a small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth and her eyes and body language softened slightly.  
"Do not worry yourself Miss Granger, I suppose I would have reacted the same way if the situation was reversed. As you can see, it wasn't anything a simple healing spell couldn't fix." We both let out quiet sighs as the tension decreased slightly. Summoning my remaining courage, I decided to grab the snake by the tail as it were and ask the question that try as I might, I could not seem to answer.  
 _ **You didn't tell her the truth did you? About that night?**_ She winced slightly and took a deep steadying breath.  
"No." Her response came out as little more than a whisper.  
 _ **Why?**_ Sapphire eyes lifted anxiously to meet mine as she wrung her hands together.  
"You are my sons age. I didn't…. I didn't know what she would do if she knew, and despite whatever you may think of me Miss Granger, I am not as heartless as I am portrayed as being. Bella is very volatile, and while I know she no longer hates you, I do not know how she would react if she were to learn the truth from me. That is your burden to bear Miss Granger, and you must tell her sometime soon, but I expect you already know this?" I sighed and nodded my head gently.  
"You should know that, that night it wasn't my intention to alarm you and make things worse. I genuinely did want to talk to you, to see how you got yourself into this mess. I didn't mean for…." Sensing her growing distress, I stretched my nose out and gently nudged her arm in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. Her eyes once again met mine as she took another deep breath.  
 _ **I guess we both could have handled things differently, but we cannot change the past, believe me I wish we could.**_ She must have known where my train of thought was heading, as she tentatively lifted her hand and rubbed my nose gently.  
"Do not waste your thoughts on him Miss Granger, he was a vile excuse for a man. You did the world a favour, I know Bella was glad to be rid of him. To be honest, she was more interested in berating me for the state you were in than concerning herself with the condition of her husband. Hers, like mine, was an arranged marriage set up by our parents before we had even left Hogwarts. I was lucky in that regard that I had Draco, his presence helped things between Lucius and I somewhat. Bella on the other hand, well let's just say that she went to extreme measures to ensure that Rodolphus never sired any children. It was both a blessing and a curse really, she made sure that no spawn of his ever walked the earth, and yet it meant that she hadn't got a buffer for when things got bad. I guess that`s why she became so obsessed with the Dark Lord, it gave her an escape." The blonde witches' eyes grew distant as she all but whispered the last part.  
 _ **Regardless of the type of man he was Mrs Malfoy, I still killed someone in cold blood.  
**_ "The world is not black and white Miss Granger, surely you must understand that at some point, the lines will overlap for some reason or another. There will always be grey areas, regardless of which side you are on. Yes you killed someone, but think of it this way, when the final battle inevitably arrives, he will not be there so he will not be able to harm you or any of your friends. Surely that is a positive to come out of the situation? And if that isn't enough for you, consider this. You didn't kill him out of malice or without reason, you killed him to save another person. And the fact that you defended someone you don't know and who is on the other side of this war we are fighting, only shows the kind of person that you truly are. Believe me when I say, there are very few people on this side of the war that would have defended me the way you did, most of them would have just left me at his mercy and feigned innocence. But not you, despite the condition you were in, you acted selflessly and without a doubt you saved my life. That is a debt I will never be able to repay, all I can say is thank you and know that a mere expression of gratitude will never be enough." I lay there in silence for a few minutes astounded, as I processed everything that Narcissa had just said. Once my mind had absorbed this new knowledge, another question crept into my mind.  
 _ **Would he have killed you? Even though you were his sister in law?**_ A sad smile briefly graced her features.  
"Yes Miss Granger he would have done, but not before he would have taken what he wanted first. Bella might have the reputation for torture and madness, but even she has her boundaries." A sickening feeling crept through me as the weight of what she had just said bore down on me.  
 _ **You don't mean that he would have…..you know….."**_  
"Yes Miss Granger, he would have violated me in every way he could think of before he killed me." I felt extremely nauseous and thanked the universe that I was no longer in human form so that I could throw up.

As the minutes crept by, the tension level dwindled until barely any remained. Realising that the blonde witch still hadn't answered one of my questions, I decided to bring it up.  
 _ **So, if you didn't tell Bellatrix the truth, then how did you explain the circumstances in which she found us?**_ The smile slipped from the blonde`s face as she took a deep breath.  
"Before I answer that, you should know that I have never lied to my sister, not even once. We have no secrets from each other, we are too close for that. So for me to lie to her about you, well you can imagine that was not something I did lightly." I nodded in agreement, having seen the obvious bond between the sisters, I could not doubt her words.  
"I did try and approach her just after we had healed you, but she was too enraged to hear me out. I left her a little while before coming back to try again. I think it would be easier for me to show you that conversation, if you will permit it? You will only see what I want you to see." I took a few minutes to contemplate her request before giving her my consent. Narcissa shuffled closer to me before placing her hand on my shoulder and closing her eyes. I sighed softly before quickly following her lead.

 _I stood watching a frantic Bellatrix pace in front of a large fireplace, the harsh glow of the flames behind her only adding to her menacing look. To my left stood a very pale and tense Narcissa, eyes wide as they tracked her sister`s agitated pacing. For once, the proud Malfoy matriarch looked small and vulnerable, like a deer caught in the gaze of a hungry panther. After a few minutes of manic pacing Bellatrix swore then turned and slammed her fist into the stone wall, making both myself and memory Narcissa flinch. Slowly, the dark witch turned to face us, her eyes wild and her nostrils flaring.  
"What the fuck happened Narcissa? She was fine when I left her, how did you manage to fuck things up so much and nearly kill her in just one hour!" Her voice was dangerously low and drenched with venom. I turned to look at Narcissa and couldn't help but feel sorry for the blonde witch, her eyes were wide In fright, she was dangerously pale and her thin frame shook in fear as she bore the brunt of her sister`s rage._

 _A few minutes of tense silence filled the room and as the time passed both sisters grew more and more distraught.  
"WELL?!" Bellatrix`s impatient roar echoed throughout the house, making the windows and doors rattle. Narcissa`s gaze drifted to the floor as her trembling became more violent. When she did find her voice, it was so small and quiet that if I hadn't just heard it with my own ears, I would never have believed it to have come from Narcissa Malfoy.  
"She saved me Bella. He… he was going to kill me, and she saved me." The change in Bellatrix was instantaneous, her furious expression turned to concern and her eyes softened as she looked at her sister. She took a deep breath and approached her, gently taking her arm and leading her to the sofa. As they sat down, Bellatrix took Narcissa`s hand as she watched her carefully. When the dark witch spoke again, her voice was quiet, much softer but still held a touch of authority.  
"Tell me what happened after I left."_

" _You had been gone about half an hour. I went back in to check on her and she was shaking in her sleep, so I shook her gently to try and snap her out of it. When she came round and saw me she panicked and leapt to her feet, reopening her chest wound in the process. I was so stupid Bella, I took my wand out to heal her and she must have seen me as a threat and went absolutely berserk. I don't think I have ever seen so much fear in a pair of eyes. In her distress she managed to back herself into the corner. It was awful, the whites of her eyes were showing and her body was shaking so much she could barely remain standing. I put my wand away and tried to approach her to try and calm her down, but when I was only a couple of feet away she reared in panic and caught my arm with her front leg, knocking me to the floor. She then jumped over me and fled out of the door." The blonde paused for a few minutes to catch her breath while Bellatrix waited patiently for her to continue. Narcissa nervously smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in her dress before taking a deep breath.  
"When I caught up with her, she was outside on her knees. She was breathing heavily and the blood just poured out of her. At that moment she really looked like she was just going to die." Bellatrix`s breath hitched as her hand moved to her chest.  
"She must have heard me coming as somehow she managed to get to her feet and face me in battle mode. You would have been quite proud of her Bella, despite everything, she looked absolutely magnificent. Very fierce and powerful." A soft smile tugged at the corners of the dark witch's mouth as she listened to her sister. The small smile that had also graced the blonde`s face then vanished as a darker, more fearful look took its place.  
"That`s when it all went to hell. I had just about reached her when I heard him." The blonde paused once more to take a steadying breath and the hand previously on Bellatrix`s chest moved to cover Narcissa`s in a comforting and soothing gesture.  
"He… he had obviously been drinking, he was so loud. He shouted at me about the state of the foyer and just as I was about to raise my wand he disarmed me. I have never seen him move so quickly. He then started to walk towards me, yelling about how I was a whore and that even you being my sister would have no effect on his next actions." Whatever Narcissa was going to say next was cut off by a deep growl emanating from the dark witch. Taking a deep breath, the blonde quickly quietened her enraged sister and carried on.  
"Never before have I felt so helpless and vulnerable. His entire demeanour was frightening. I`ve never seen him so out of control. I did try to placate him by telling him it was an accident, but he wouldn't listen. He struck me across the face with that much force that it knocked me to my knees. He…. he just wouldn't stop. I crawled backwards to try and get away from him and ended up colliding with her. I honestly thought she was going to kill me right there, she was trembling and the rage in her eyes was petrifying. Rod then began mocking me further and raised his wand at me. That`s when everything changed. She let out the most piercing scream and moved to stand between me and him, protecting me. I was speechless, I was so sure she was going to attack me, or worse, leave me to him." The blonde witch took a few moments to take some calming breaths as Bellatrix sat immersed in the memory. After she had calmed down, Narcissa resumed her tale.  
"As you can imagine, that did not go down well with Rod, he just mocked me further and threatened both her and me before aiming his wand at her. That`s when she went mental. She went for him and got hold of his wand arm in her teeth forcing him to drop my wand. Just as I was about to go for it he punched her square in the face which loosened her grip on him. He was absolutely seething with rage as his levelled his wand at her, but she ignored that and snatched the wand out of his hand before rearing at him. I have never seen anything like it Bella, she looked like something out of a nightmare. She just kept going for him, the whites of her eyes were showing and her wings were pounding the air that hard it was a wonder she didn't take off. I have never seen such pure and overpowering rage. I am not sure how many times she got him, there was blood everywhere. All over her, over the floor, and Rod, well you saw what he was reduced to. She eventually stopped and just stared at him. I swear Bella that you could see the gears in her mind turning as the weight of what she had done came crashing down on her. At that point I don't want to know how much blood and energy she had lost, the effort brought her down to her knees. I went to try and reassure her and that is the point when you found us." _

The memory swirled and diminished until we were both back in the present.

I lay in silence for a few minutes while my brain digested everything I had just seen. Narcissa had lied to Bellatrix…. for me. The thought was almost too unbelievable to even consider, but it was true. I looked at the quiet witch with a newfound respect and appreciation, she had protected me when anyone else in her position wouldn't have. Her gaze had moved to rest on the floor, subtly giving me the time to process. I sighed softly which brought her eyes back up to me, her expression hesitant.  
 _ **What happened after that? Did she believe you?**_ Narcissa smiled softly at me in response and exhaled in relief.  
"Yes she did believe me, how could she not? I have never given her a reason to doubt me. She did very little for a short while, she calmed down tremendously and even apologised for how she spoke to me. After she had repaired the damage she had caused, she then went to check on you. When I came up to check on you both half an hour later, she was curled up fast asleep next to you. Other than your identity, the majority of what I told her was the truth, save a few insignificant details"  
 _ **Thank you Mrs Malfoy for protecting me. I appreciate what it must have taken for you to do what you did. I am deeply grateful.**_ She reached up to pat my neck softly.  
"You are welcome Miss Granger. Consider us even, you protected me and I protected you. I bet my ancestors are cursing in their graves, a pureblood from the noblest house of Black, helping a mudblood! What a preposterous notion! But here we stand." Despite the barbed amusement in her voice, her expression and body language remained soft and inoffensive, so I let the comment slide. Realising what she had just said, her expression turned apologetic as she regarded me sheepishly.  
"Forgive me Miss Granger, long have I been brought up with the belief of blood supremacy. Not that I don't believe in some of it, however, even I can see that not everything we were taught about mudbl…. muggleborns is true." I lay staring at her in disbelief for a few minutes, I could hardly believe what I was hearing! I didn't realise I have been staring at her for so long until she began to fidget uncomfortably under my stare. Quickly getting myself together, I dropped my gaze which immediately settled the older witch.  
 _ **My apologies Mrs Malfoy, I just didn't expect you to…. to….well I just didn't expect that. Thank you.**_ She nodded her head in response and rubbed my neck gently. We sat in a comfortable silence for a little while as we listened to the birds.

After what must have been fifteen minutes, I started to get a gnawing feeling in my stomach, something that must have been evident in my body language as Narcissa turned to look at me curiously, eyebrows raised as she observed me.  
"Is everything alright Miss Granger?" Despite trying to remain distant, her tone held an audible amount of concern as she watched me with wide eyes. For the first time since my accident, I was finally able to address the elephant in the room.  
 _ **Bellatrix…..I`ve got to tell her haven't I?**_ The blonde witch sighed softly, her expression turning melancholy.  
"Yes Miss Granger. You do have to tell her, and if I were you, I would make it sooner rather than later. Bella has the right to know." Both of us failed to see the swirling black smoke that was advancing towards us rapidly until a familiar voice startled us both.  
"Bella as the right to know _what?"_

Thank you for reading. Reviews are most welcome and I look forward to hearing what you thought of this chapter, good or bad 


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